1 REPUBLIC OF FIJI 2019-2020 BUDGET ADDRESS Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum Attorney-General and Minister for Economy 7 June 2019 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................... 3 The Bainimarama Boom ........................................................................... 5 Fiji’s Financial Discipline ......................................................................... 8 Global Economic Outlook ....................................................................... 17 Fiji’s Economic Outlook ......................................................................... 21 Strengthening Law and Order ................................................................. 28 Protecting our Natural Environment ....................................................... 30 Empowering Young Fijians .................................................................... 42 Technology and Innovation ..................................................................... 52 Digitalfiji ................................................................................................. 56 Building Certainty in an Uncertain World .............................................. 70 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 84 3 2019-2020 NATIONAL BUDGET ADDRESS INTRODUCTION 1. Honourable Speaker, Honourable Prime Minister, Honourable Leader of the Opposition, it is my privilege to present to Parliament and to all Fijians, across our country and overseas, the National Budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. 2. Whether you’re watching live on television, listening on radio or streaming on Facebook, the Parliament Live website or the Walesi application, I’d like to thank you for being with us this evening. Given the incredible progress we’ve made in expanding Walesi’s coverage this year, we’d like to especially acknowledge those tuning in from community halls in Lakeba, Moala and Kadavu, as well as from deep rural pockets in Viti Levu, all of whom have received Walesi coverage for the first time: Welcome to this National Budget Announcement. 3. Now, I know we traditionally say budget “announcement”, but as more Fijians are not only watching, but participating in this event, it’s really grown to become a national dialogue among our citizens. And for all those who are following along and commenting on social media, please use our hashtag “Fiji Budget” to share in this nationwide conversation. 4 4. I want to thank all of those who took part in the first-ever online national budget consultations we held on Facebook earlier this year. The over 50,000 engagements on Facebook, which included thousands of comments, questions and suggestions from secondary and tertiary students, as well as the general public –– have made the 2019-2020 National Budget the most participatory budget to-date, with a record volume of perspectives, ideas and experiences brought to the forefront of our consultations. 5. And I was particularly happy to see that entire classrooms gathered around the computer screen, using these digital consultations as an exercise to learn more about how our budget works and hear directly from their government. An engaged, well-informed young population is the greatest assurance we can possibly have that the progress we make today will be protected through the decades to come. And the contributions we received from young Fijians across the country made clear that Fiji’s future is actually in very good hands. 6. Mr. Speaker Sir, tonight, we further the realisation of a vision of empowerment, people-first policy-making and innovative problem-solving. A vision that prioritises the prosperity of our people today and protects the wellbeing of generations to come. A vision set out by our Honourable Prime Minister and set in motion by the responsible and practical management of our economy. 7. Tonight, that vision enters its second evolution, led by a future-facing budget that builds on the unprecedented 5 achievement of the Fijian economy and looks ahead with confident expectations and ambitious aspirations. It is a budget that paves the way towards even greater triumph, for our economy, for our businesses, and for our people – and ensures resilient progress in a changing climate and a changing global market. 8. It is a budget that secures our nation a sustainable future, with every dollar of new expenditure dedicated to support one of five fundamental pillars of modernity: a. First: Strengthening law and order; b. Second: Protecting our natural environment; c. Third: Empowering young Fijians; d. Fourth: Spurring technology and innovation; and e. And lastly: Building certainty in an uncertain world. THE BAINIMARAMA BOOM 9. Standing before this august Parliament one year ago, we proudly celebrated the ninth straight year of growth for the Fijian economy – the single longest stretch in our history. Today – one year on – we are proud to announce that the Fiji First government is adding to that record-breaking streak of economic expansion. We expect GDP to grow to $12.7 billion this year, making for ten straight years of growth for our economy. 10. When we went to the Fijian people in 2014 and 2018 ahead of our National Elections, we promised that we were the only government equipped to consistently grow the 6 economy to improve the lives of all Fijians. Just as promised, we’ve delivered a decade of progress, a decade of development, and a decade of prosperity for all of our people. We’ve done more than set a new record; we’ve set a new bar of expectation for what our nation can achieve. For all the young people watching this evening, that’s a bar we expect all of you to one day surpass. 11. Before this government, the Fijian economy had some good years, some okay years, and some bad years –– quite a few bad years, actually. Through decisive political leadership and responsible financial management, we ended that era of instability, we shut the door on economic inconsistency and put ourselves – the Fijian people – in command of our own destinies. Under our Honourable Prime Minister, our economy has been stable, our growth has been steady, and our future has been secure for ten straight years. This age of historic economic achievement – this unbroken decade – has been rightly dubbed the Bainimarama Boom for our economy. Not a bump, not a bubble – an economic boom that has carried our economy through ten years of expansion, and that will go down in history as the decade we solidified Fiji’s economic future. 12. Since 2009, the Bainimarama Boom has more than doubled the size of our economy. A boom in employment has put 100,000 more Fijians in jobs. 100,000 more women and men who can go to work, earn a pay check and provide for their families –– driving national unemployment to a 20- year low of 4.5 per cent. And booming private sector investment has built new homes, hotels, offices, residential 7 buildings and shopping centres, while historic public spending has built a national network of high quality infrastructure and reliable essential services. 13. How? By playing our cards in a savvy manner. By keeping a close eye on market developments, business cycles, and geopolitical machinations. By making tough decisions at the right times, forging new strategic partnerships, seizing opportunities while they were hot, and pulling back when things slowed down. That record has inspired confidence in our nation’s progress –– confidence among our people, confidence among our development partners and confidence among business owners; from CEOs heading investment firms to vendors operating roadside stalls. We’ve harnessed that collective confidence and used it to build an economy that works for all of our people, at all levels of our society. 14. Mr. Speaker Sir, our commitment to inclusive progress has made Fiji one of five countries in the Asia-Pacific region – – a region that’s home to more than 60 per cent of the world’s population –– where income inequality is actually decreasing. In a global economy where –– far too often –– only the rich are getting richer, Fijian society is actually becoming more equal. The Bainimarama Boom was a boom for ordinary men and women, not only the wealthy and the privileged; it has uplifted dalo farmers as well as doctors, taxi drivers as well as teachers; cashiers as well as company owners. 8 15. But our surging economy has done more than put money in our people’s pockets – far more. It has funded an unprecedented wave of development across the country. It has dug boreholes in rural villages, giving more of our people access to clean drinking water. It has built health centres that have provided life-saving treatments to our people in times of emergencies. It has paid the school fees of tens of thousands of Fijian children. And it has built faith among our people – and among the world – that Fiji is headed in the right direction. That faith, Mr. Speaker Sir, takes many forms. It is the faith held by a Fijian factory worker that her daughter could one day lead the same company she works for today. It is the faith held by investors that Fiji is where their investment will see the biggest returns and that the Fijian people are capable of building their businesses. And it is the faith held by every Fijian that they stand on firmly upon an unshakable foundation of political, civil and socio-economic rights. All those individuals share a collective faith in our nation’s potential; faith that Fiji is a nation on